I hereby announce a new Countdown event. Unlike all of the real ones though, run by real people, this one is going to be played virtually.

The itinerary will be similar to that of a normal co:event, as this tourneys aims to be as true a representation of such an event as possible. The draw will be made at 12 noon, with the first round of fixtures to begin at 12.30pm. I would ask that anyone who wants to play should ensure they will be available to remain until 6pm, although it is possible that we may finish earlier.

The preliminary stage will consist of 4 rounds, which will be on tables of 3 like the ones used at COLIN. The format for these first four rounds will be 9 Rounder.

The first TWO rounds will be drawn at random. The third and fourth round draws will be seeded COLIN-style, based on the leaderboard at that stage in the tournament. Players will be sorted by wins first, then points.

Once the four preliminary rounds have been played, the finals will begin. Exactly how these play out will depend on time left to us. If it's getting late, it'll just be #1 vs #2 in the final, like COLIN does. If there's time and a big enough field of entrants I could do a bracket of 8. There may also be 'B' and 'C' group finals if the numbers work out. The final format depends on popular opinion, I'd quite like to see a 14 Rounder final but if 15 Rounder or 9 Rounder are overwhelmingly preferred I'll concede.

There's an announcement ticket on the apterous website and a tourney page too. In the meantime, please feel free to ask any questions, lavish any plaudits, or deliver any rebukes you may have for me (preferably in relation to Co:Apterous).